Blue Beetle
Track Record When Worlds Collide tournament - Won first round in tag team with Metallo, beating Iron Man and Human Torch History Jaime Reyes was a relatively normal high school student from El Paso, Texas. His father ran a garage, his mother was a paramedic, and his little sister was a brat. Jaime hung out with his two best friends Brenda and Paco, the mediator between the hard-working Brenda and the laid-back Paco. By both Brenda and Paco's accounts, he was a good friend, the kind of person who could let them be themselves, and who could always make things better. Jaime aimed to help his father out at the garage, but Alberto turned him down, not wanting to see his son grow up too fast. Everything fell apart with the onset of the Infinite Crisis. The Blue Beetle Scarab Some while before, Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, had come into possession of the Blue Beetle Scarab, the artefact which had given Dan Garrett, the first Blue Beetle, his powers. The Scarab had been presumed destroyed early in Ted's superhero career, but it was discovered intact in a pyramid in the Middle East. Ted lost the Scarab on a visit to the Rock of Eternity, home of the wizard Shazam. Shortly afterwards, he met his death at the hands of Maxwell Lord, Black King of Checkmate. The Rock of Eternity was later destroyed in mystical battle between Shazam and the Spectre, its contents blasted across the world. The Blue Beetle Scarab came down in El Paso, fire and portent in its wake. Jaime discovered the Scarab on the way home from school with Paco and Brenda, half-buried in a disused lot. He took it home, curious as to what it might be. That night, the Scarab came alive, and grafted itself to the base of Jaime's spine, inducing strange dreams in Jaime. He also got in trouble with a local gang of magic meta humans called the Posse Mistaken him for a magic meta human they magically scanned him and a invited him to join. Jaime declined the offer but the Scarab had no intentioned to be scanned and it almost killed Probe. And easily bested the rest of the Posse. The next night Booster Gold sought Jaime out, and took him to meet Batman. Booster had been to the future, where he had learned that Batman would seek out Brother Eye and fail - but he had also learned the Blue Beetle Scarab was the one thing capable of seeing Brother Eye. Jaime went into space with Batman and his team. The Scarab saw where Brother Eye was hidden, and pulled the rogue satellite back into reality. Jaime, together with Black Canary and Green Arrow, destroyed Brother Eye's dimensional stabilizer, preventing it from escaping outside reality again. Once Batman's team had sent Eye plummeting Earthwards, the Scarab shunted Jaime outside dimensions itself, seeking to escape the Green Lanterns on the spaceship. Unfortunately, the chaos of the dimensional stabilizer's destruction dilated time for Jaime. As far as he knew, he'd only been outside dimensions a couple of minutes; on Earth, however, a whole year had passed. One Year Later The next thing Jaime remembered, he had come down in the desert outside El Paso, and Guy Gardner was trying to kill him. Once Guy realized he was fighting a kid, he broke off the fight, but not without promising Jaime he would be back. Jaime eventually managed to find his way back home, only to discover his year-long absence. In that time, his father had been crippled, forcing him to walk with a cane, Paco had teamed up with the Posse, and Brenda had been taken in by her aunt after her abusive father died in a DUI. He revealed his identity as the Blue Beetle to both his parents and his two friends. Jaime's attempts to learn more about the Scarab led him to the Posse - and involved him in their conflict with El Paso's resident crimelord, La Dam], as she sought to bring the magical metas of El Paso under her control. Her henchman Diviner even got so far in manipulating The Bottom Feeder to adduct the baby daughter of the Posse leader Damper, Alina Jaime fought to save the baby, discovering he could permanently slay the Bottom Feeder but despite of the Bottom Feeders own wishes he refused as Jaime was not a murderer. After that, Jaime and the Posse launched a raid on Warehouse 13 where La Dama was holding her collection of magic-metas, only to find most of them were happy where they were. However, the Posse managed to convince a good half of them that they could return to their ordinary lives, promising the Blue Beetle would defend them. La Dama had no choice but to accept this, or risk facing her guests' 'objections'. Jaime and La Dama made a reluctant truce - both knew the other's secret identity, and could make it public whenever they chose. Jaime initially believed the Scarab was a mystical artifact, up until Peacemaker arrived, revealing that it was a piece of extraterrestrial technology. Jaime's search for more information took him back to where he'd crash landed in the desert, in an attempt to find out about his missing year. He then headed out on Dan Garrett's trail, looking to find out what the first Blue Beetle had known about the Scarab. The Reach The current Dan Garret was the original Blue Beetles granddaughter and claimed she had the right of the scarab, but since it was stuck to Jaime's spine she let it go. However, it was Jaime's investigation into a cattle mutilation outside El Paso that would provide his biggest lead on the Scarab. His confrontation with the monstrous creation responsible led him to the Reach, the alien civilization who had created the Scarab and left it on Earth. Jaime discovered that the Reach were galactic conquerors, who planned to add Earth to their list of conquests. Initially, the Scarab had been programmed to be obedient to the Reach, and to subordinate its host's will to them as well. The Reach had intended to present the Scarab's host as Earth's protector, before moving to establish their influence over the planet. However, during the centuries the Scarab had spent on Earth, it had been infused with magic, the magical 'corruption' preventing the Reach from controlling it. With Jaime's assistance, it had started to develop free will and independence, overriding the Reach's deepest programming. Nevertheless, the Reach still intended to take over the planet, even without the Scarab to help them. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, the Reach were peaceful 'galactic traders'. Their secret bases and technology were hidden away, out of phase with the rest of the world, and Jaime was the only one who could see them. Seeing Jaime and the Scarab as the biggest threat to their plans, the Reach attempted to eliminate them through the use of deniable agents, including Earth's supervillains. Jaime, meanwhile, tried to find out what the Reach were up to, and how he could stop them. Worried that the Scarab might still be a threat, Jaime sought help from the local branch of S.T.A.R. Labs. An encounter with Livewire, who was being assessed there at the time, triggered a strange reaction in both Livewire and the Scarab, resulting in a fight. Superman put a halt to the battle, and helped to reassure Jaime about himself and the Scarab. Jaime also assisted Traci Thirteen in foiling Eclipso's attempt to kidnap a baby with great magical potential and use it as a new, uncorrupted host. During the course of the adventure, Jaime and Traci developed a romantic interest in each other, and remained in long-distance contact after Eclipso' defeat. When the Reach recruited Lobo to prevent the launch of a rocket containing anti-Reach technology, Jaime teamed up with the Teen Titans to make sure the rocket lifted off safely. Afterwards, the Titans invited Jaime to Titans Tower, so he could hang out with them, get training, and learn how to fight. Jaime took them up on the invitation - and found himself helping the Titans fight off their future incarnations, the Titans of Tomorrow. Finally, Jaime and the Scarab managed to uncover the Reach's scheme and destroy it, but also ended up destroying any evidence of the scheme, By this point, the Scarab had become an independent, free-willed entity in its own right, naming itself Khaji Da. Together, Jaime and the Scarab devised a plan to bring the Reach down before they tried conquering Earth again. Jaime allowed himself to be captured by the Reach, giving the Scarab the chance to hack into the Reach's computers and broadcast their invasion plans worldwide. The Reach's Negotiator, driven to breaking point, ordered Earth's destruction - but again, Jaime and the Scarab intervened, stopping the world-rippers before they could be activated. The Reach were forced to withdraw, claiming that the Negotiator had 'gone rogue'. The Scarab, however, had had a conversation with the other Scarabs onboard the Reach ship - a little surprise for the Reach. Strengths & Weaknesses Powers The Scarab has displayed the following abilities since its bond to Jaime Reyes. It can opt to use its powers of its own accord, though it typically defers to Jaime. However, if Jaime doesn't want the Scarab to use a power, he can override it. Should Jaime fall prey to a body-controlling power, the Scarab will take control of the armor. Some of the Scarab's powers can function regardless of whether the armor is active or not; others, however, only work when the armor is in use. Those powers that depend on the armor are listed under its heading. According to Jaime, the Scarab has a number of 'options' beyond those listed below, some of which are apparently capable of destroying a city. Artificial Intelligence: Normally, the Reach's command sentience parameters, stored in a Scarab's database, give a Scarab sentience and serve to make it obedient to the Reach. An infusion of magical energies sometime in the distant past altered the Scarab, denying the Reach control. When the Scarab's infiltrator mode was triggered, the Scarab was able to develop its sentience without being in service to the Reach. It also had the opportunity to access the programming of other Scarabs as well. As a result, the Scarab has its own mind, with full access to its own programming, *''Symbiotic Synaptic Interface:'' The Scarab's nervous system is bonded to Jaime's, letting the two share their thoughts and emotions. The Scarab communicates with Jaime as a voice in his mind (which sounds like Jaime's mother). No-one else can hear it. *''Scarab Mindlink:'' The Scarab can mentally communicate with Scarabs that have not integrated with a host. It can also interface with Scarabs which have created full infiltrators, although this requires Jaime to breach the infiltrator's armor. Tracking Systems: The Scarab can track anything which produces energy, be it biological, technological or mystical. It can track anyone Jaime met since it bonded with him, from at least seventy miles distant. Scarab Sight: The Scarab can scan the people Jaime encounters, informing him of any major physical conditions (such as pregnancy). It can identify and scan metahumans. It can identify people related to those it's already encountered via genetic analysis. The Scarab is able to identify thought-patterns, enabling it to see if something is sentient. It can identify matching energy signatures, letting it see if the energy patterns were developed from the same basis. It can also see extra-dimensional objects. It is continually aware of the electricity in the surrounding environment. It can perceive magic, see how a magical effect can be dispelled, and see through magical concealment. The Scarab's scans can cover at least a five mile square. It communicates the information it gleans to Jaime in a manner he can understand. *''Temporal Flux Detection: The Scarab can detect changes in the timeline affecting the Blue Beetle legacy; to Jaime, this manifests as intense static. '''Network Connection:' The Scarab can establish a connection to communication systems, enabling Jaime to speak to the person on the other end. Clothing Manifestation: The Scarab can create clothes for Jaime, apparently from recycled waste and skin, which melt when he takes them off. Concealment: The Scarab is capable of concealing itself from 21st century technology (though Skeets, from the 25th century, was able to find it). It can shut off cameras and microphones in its vicinity. The Scarab has blocked a magical attempt to probe it, lashing out at the person who tried. Healing Host Reconfiguration: The Scarab can modify Jaime's body to a certain extent (e.g., offering to give him extra fingers), although just how far the modifications can go is unknown. Blue Beetle Armor: The Scarab can create a distinctive suit of armor in response to Jaime's thoughts, or when it deems use of the armor necessary. Once the Scarab dispels the armor, it retracts back into Jaime's body. *''Superhuman Strength'' *''Superhuman Agility'' *''Environmental Protection: The armor allows Jaime to survive in a variety of hazardous environments ranging from Earth orbit, to the timestream, to the Bleed. It can survive extreme temperature and pressure. It can survive the heat and impact of atmospheric re-entry without seeming damage, even when the earth around it has been turned to glass. *Armor Reconfiguration: The armor can reconfigure itself to create a wide array of tools and weapons, including an energy cannon, a sword and shield, a grappling hook, an energy blaster, claws, wings, and a set of large powered blades attached to the hands, over a foot in length, that can shear through tree trunks. The armor's equipment is mutable to a certain extent, most noticeably in the wings; initially, they were composed of the same solid 'carapace' which comprises the rest of the suit, but later, they began manifesting themselves in the form of a colorless, translucent material. Whether this is because of changes in the suit's capabilities, or because Jaime intended the alteration, has not been made clear. *Partial Armor Manifestation: Jaime can manifest parts of the armor - like the energy blaster - without needing to manifest the whole suit. *Wing Shields: The armor can create a pair of wings, enabling Jaime to fly and hover. They can also double as shields, should the need arise. **Jet Propulsion: When in flight, the armor can manifest a 'jet engine', enabling Jaime to fly at greater speed, at the expense of close maneuverability. *Energy Manipulation: The Scarab can shape and manipulate the energy it stores for a variety of effects, including energy blasts, energy cocoons, small-scale solid constructs (shields, chains, etc.), and 3-D holograms. Its energy shields can block a Sinestro Corps ring's blasts. *Antagonist Adaptation: The armor can tailor its blasts for use against specific opponents (e.g., Kryptonite radiation against a Kryptonian, suppression blast against a mob). The blasts can penetrate a Green Lantern ring's shield. The armor can call up anti-magic effects against magical opponents. By the Scarab's own estimation, it can even develop countermeasures that can take on the Spectre. *Energy Bubble: The armor is able to create a temporary energy bubble around Jaime and/or people nearby. The bubble shields those inside from outside attacks, but prevents them from leaving. A Flash who tries to vibrate through it will find themselves blasted by the bubble. *Vibrational Frequency Manipulation: The Scarab can negate the vibrational frequencies of extra-dimensional objects, pulling them into this reality. The area of effect of this latter is unknown; it has been seen to affect objects at least the size of Brother Eye. According to the Reach, this should be impossible. The Scarab can also shift Jaime out of phase with the universe, making him invisible and intangible to anything apart from Reach-tech. *Bleed Diving: Jaime can shift into the Bleed, the space that connects the various universes. He can utilize the Bleed's unique properties for various effects, such as instantaneous teleportation, or shifting back in time a few minutes to appear in more than one place simultaneously. At best, he has only enough energy to dive into the Bleed three times in quick succession. *Translation: The armor can translate Mother Box communication into a form comprehensible to Jaime. *Waste Disposal: While wearing the armor, Jaime finds that he doesn't need to go to the toilet, though he does still need rest. Strength Jaime normally has the strength level of a young teenage male who engages in moderate exercise. The Scarab's armor gives him enough strength to move a small truck. Weaknesses '''Green Lantern Corps': The Scarab sees the Green Lantern Corps as the 'enemy'. In Jaime's first few days as the Beetle, the Scarab did everything in its power to get him away from the Lanterns - up to and including shifting him outside the universe. As Jaime's experience with the Scarab's armor has developed, the Scarab has taken a more aggressive approach against the Lanterns, urging Jaime to kill them. The Green Lantern rings, for their part, fear the Scarab, responding in different ways depending on their wielders (e.g. John Stewart's sparks, as if afraid, while Guy Gardner's induced what can only be described as a 'super-migraine', along with an intense desire to kill the Scarab's bearer). Truce With Nature: The Scarab will not hurt nature, or the magical creatures thereof (beings who draw their power from the Green, for example), of its own volition. Alien Sentience: The Scarab's sentience is distinctly alien; while it won't hurt /nature/, it has shown no such reluctance when it comes to humans, being willing to injure or kill them. Fortunately, Jaime has so far prevented it from killing anyone. Reach Tech: The Scarab's armor can be breached by the weapons of other Scarabs. Equally, however, the Scarab is able to breach other Scarabs' armor. Originally, the Scarab was unable to attack the Reach and their technology. Jaime overrode the Scarab's programming, 'reprogramming' it so that it was able to fight the Reach. Magic: While the Scarab is aware of magic, it doesn't understand it. It's able to perceive, absorb, and disrupt magical energies, but little else. As a result, creatures of magic are often a significant challenge. The Scarab can't analyse certain mystical creatures, and so is unable to develop countermeasures for them. When faced with certain other mystical entities, such as the Spectre, the Scarab panics, offering Jaime ever more powerful weapons to take them on. Magnetic Shielding: Strong magnetic fields block the Scarab's ability to track DNA. Dispelling The Armor: Dispelling the armor originally caused Jaime intense pain. As time has passed, however, Jaime has found the process getting easier. Equipment *'Blue Beetle Scarab': presently bonded to Jaime's spine. This symbiosis gives Jaime access to the Scarab's powers whenever he chooses. The Scarab can, and will, use its powers of its own accord; Jaime, however, can override the Scarab if need be. Should Jaime fall prey to a mind-altering power, the Scarab will take control of the armor. Trivia * Jaime is Mexican-American; one of his grandmothers lives in Mexico City. * Jaime's father's name is given as 'Ernesto' in the art for Blue Beetle #2. However, the script for Blue Beetle #22 gives it as 'Alberto', with the diminuitive 'Berto having been used since Blue Beetle #13. * Jaime, or at least his family, is Catholic; there's a picture of Jesus in the Reyes house in Blue Beetle #9, and Alberto makes mention of attending church in Blue Beetle #21. * One disturbing event in the Scarab's history suggests how alien the Scarab may be. During Ted Kord's time as Blue Beetle, the Scarab - or something using it - resurrected Dan Garrett, and the half-crazed Dan went on a rampage, searching for Ted. When Ted finally confronted Dan, the Scarab offered him its powers, claiming it needed a new host; Ted refused, and convinced Dan to break the Scarab's control over him, shattering the Scarab's physical form and sending Dan to his final rest. Category:Comic Book Characters